fungus humongous?

[Wayne]

How much do you think image quality will be affected on this folder lens? I don't have much experience with subpar lenses...

 

[Dan Daniel]

Photo is too small. Can't tell what I am looking at. Can you post a large image? Use the 'Upload Image or File' option to take care of large files.

 

[Kino]

Image flaring in bright scenes and a small amount of image sharpness loss in other scenes.

I suggest you clean it with equal parts of ammonia and 3% peroxide, then with a good quality window or lens cleaner. If the glass is not etched, it should be removed.

A lens spanner will remove the retaining ring. Go to an automotive parts store and get a valve lapping tool for about $5 to gently remove and replace the lens element.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/.../performance-tool-valve-lapper/w80570/4614512

When extracting the element, immediately note the orientation of the lens element to ensure you put it back in properly.

You may have to soak it several hours, or even overnight, in the ammonia/peroxide solution but the lens is most likely not coated and it shouldn't hurt the element.

 

[Wayne]

Image flaring in bright scenes and a small amount of image sharpness loss in other scenes.

I suggest you clean it with equal parts of ammonia and 3% peroxide, then with a good quality window or lens cleaner. If the glass is not etched, it should be removed.

A lens spanner will remove the retaining ring. Go to an automotive parts store and get a valve lapping tool for about $5 to gently remove and replace the lens element.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/.../performance-tool-valve-lapper/w80570/4614512

When extracting the element, immediately note the orientation of the lens element to ensure you put it back in properly.

You may have to soak it several hours, or even overnight, in the ammonia/peroxide solution but the lens is most likely not coated and it shouldn't hurt the element.

I havent purchased the camera. I'm trying to decide if I should. It seems that all medium format folders from Japan have some fungus. I just don't know if the lens pictured shows an acceptably small amount that is unlikely to affect the image quality, or if its enough that it should scare me off. I do know I've seen a lot worse. In fact I had to ask for more pics because I couldn't see anything in the ads pictures, even though they were good pics. But he mentioned, as they all do, there "is some tiny fungus". I won't know if its cleanable unless I buy it, and the cost of return shipping is prohibitive so if I buy it I'm stuck with it.

I want a sharp lens.

 

[Wayne]

Photo is too small. Can't tell what I am looking at. Can you post a large image? Use the 'Upload Image or File' option to take care of large files.

Thats full size.

 

[thuggins]

Photo is too small. Can't tell what I am looking at. Can you post a large image? Use the 'Upload Image or File' option to take care of large files.

Yep. Post a picture big enough to actually see.

Squinting at that tiny image, it does not look like fungus. It looks like generic haze. Clean the lens with H2O2. That will kill fungus and may remove haze. If it is fungus, the glass will likely be etched. If it's haze, the glass will be fine.

 

[Wayne]

Yep. Post a picture big enough to actually see.

Squinting at that tiny image, it does not look like fungus. It looks like generic haze. Clean the lens with H2O2. That will kill fungus and may remove haze. If it is fungus, the glass will likely be etched. If it's haze, the glass will be fine.

The lens is in Japan. I'm not. All I can do is ask for another picture. Most pictures of the lens don't show anything.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Look on line for Certo6 and buy from him. He is great. https://certo6.com/service/repair-renovation/

 

[thuggins]

The lens is in Japan. I'm not. All I can do is ask for another picture. Most pictures of the lens don't show anything.

Why would you even contemplate buying a camera with known issues of unknown severity, that you couldn't practically return?

Another vote for Certo6. I have worked with him extensively and have always had good experiences. Apart from him there are many folders for sale in the US, that you could get better info on.

 

[Wayne]

Certo doesn't have any functional cameras for sale.

Why would you even contemplate buying a camera with known issues of unknown severity, that you couldn't practically return?

I'm trying to determine the severity of the issue, which occurs on many if not most old folders. Pretty prudent, if you ask me. If I find one that I want in the US, I'll certainly buy that one over an equivalent one overseas.

 

[Dan Daniel]

What is the lens and camera? If I am seeing it right, there may be fungus slightly to the right and below both the top light dot and the bottom light dot. If that was a Heliar or Planar or such, I'd walk. But if it's a triplet, well, some cleaning and you probably will be fine.

For me, I wouldn't buy a fungused lens with bad photos (which if that is full size from the original ad, it is very small) unless the price was such that I'd be willing to write it off. Or guaranteed return shipping.

 

[Wayne]

What is the lens and camera? If I am seeing it right, there may be fungus slightly to the right and below both the top light dot and the bottom light dot. If that was a Heliar or Planar or such, I'd walk. But if it's a triplet, well, some cleaning and you probably will be fine.

For me, I wouldn't buy a fungused lens with bad photos (which if that is full size from the original ad, it is very small) unless the price was such that I'd be willing to write it off. Or guaranteed return shipping.

I think its a tessar, its a Sekor T on a Mamiya 6 folder

 

[thuggins]

I'm trying to determine the severity of the issue, which occurs on many if not most old folders.

I own around 50 cameras of that vintage. That level of grunge is not something that occurs on many if not most old folders.

 

[Wayne]

I own around 50 cameras of that vintage. That level of grunge is not something that occurs on many if not most old folders.

Ok, that's good to know. Where and when did you get them from? Maybe I should have said this type of thing appears on many if not most of the medium format folders currently available from Japan, which is 99% of those available at all (for Japanese makes anyway). I don't doubt that ones sold in most parts of the US fared much better.

 

[mshchem]

I won't fool with a lens with fungi. I know that there's plenty of mildly to moderately effected that will work fine. I wouldn't spend a lot. When you can see trails there's a good chance that the glass itself is etched.

 

[Wayne]

No worries. I bought a different one but paid a good bit more. Some day if I have the opportunity to pick up some fungusy lenses cheap I can experiment with them. Some people say they have never found etching after removing fungus, others obviously say otherwise. Others like fungus...I'm not one of those.

I don't think fungus is a worry if its just a little on the edges. You can kill it with uv and prevent it from getting larger, unless you live in Japan or Seattle.

 

[thuggins]

Ok, that's good to know. Where and when did you get them from? Maybe I should have said this type of thing appears on many if not most of the medium format folders currently available from Japan, which is 99% of those available at all (for Japanese makes anyway). I don't doubt that ones sold in most parts of the US fared much better.

A number of years ago (~15 or so) while filling out my Olympus collection, I bought a number of Olympus Chrome Sixes from Japan. These were pretty much in good condition; certainly none of them had lenses that looked like that. Although all the transactions went smoothly, I was never comfortable buying from Japan as there was essentially no recourse in the event of a problem.

The Mamiya 6 may not be a dime a dozen, but they are not particularly rare. If you are not fixed on that model, then look for a Zeiss, Voigtlander or other German folder. These are readily available and I have had very good luck with the bellows still being in good condition.

 

[Wayne]

A number of years ago (~15 or so) while filling out my Olympus collection, I bought a number of Olympus Chrome Sixes from Japan. These were pretty much in good condition; certainly none of them had lenses that looked like that. Although all the transactions went smoothly, I was never comfortable buying from Japan as there was essentially no recourse in the event of a problem.

The Mamiya 6 may not be a dime a dozen, but they are not particularly rare. If you are not fixed on that model, then look for a Zeiss, Voigtlander or other German folder. These are readily available and I have had very good luck with the bellows still being in good condition.

Ah, I like those Olympus Chrome Sixers, I damn near bought one instead of the Mamiya. But I wanted dual format and a coupled RF. But I don't think you'll find many without fungus now.

Fifteen years ago you could probably get them without fungus but with the run on medium format cameras they seem to be pretty much gone. Mamiya 6 are not rare at all, there are dozens on ebay. I have been watching ads for weeks and pretty much every single ad says there is haze, scratches and/or at least one fungus. And on the ones that don't, you can plainly see either scratches, haze or fungus. There were only a few ads I didn't peruse because they were asking more than $300.

Anyway hopefully the one I got will work out. The return cost was paid up front so if its bad it goes back.

 

[Wayne]

"Optics EXC ++++! Near Minty, with some scratches haze and fungus!"

 

[Don_ih]

Fungus is not a big deal, as long as (1) it hasn't ruined the actual glass or coating and (2) you can actually access it. Without actually taking apart the lens, you cannot guarantee that you can clean it out - the fungus may be eating the balsam (or whatever's been used) to glue elements together. If that's the case, the lens is probably beyond saving - you can kill the fungus with direct sunlight but, short of boiling the lens to separate the elements and then regluing them, you can't clean it out.

I did, as an experiment, bake a set of glued elements to see if that would clear things up. It sorta worked....

But, if you can get to the fungus, pretty much anything can clean it.

 

[xya]

try to get a decent photo from the seller first. a bit of fungus may be removable, if you can access it. most 3-element lenses have all surfaces accessible. if there are one or more cemented elements in the lens, fungus can be between the pair, except a very rare lens, forget it. I had several hundred lenses in total, only a small part had fungus, most came from japan and russia.

there are japanese sellers that accept returns, some even pay for it. if you cut out the ridiculous EXes and +es, most were very honest and reliable. and no, I would not buy from certo6, his treatment of shutters is not professional in my eyes. it works for the moment, but over the years the shutter will suffer. there seem to be a lot of fans around here, but google him and read other opinions. my repair man disassembles the shutter, cleans it and puts it together again. and he does lubricate certain parts inside, depending on the type...

 

[Don_ih]

Truthfully, that lens doesn't look that bad.

 

[Wayne]

Its a real problem telling what is actually fungus or what is haze/fog, and if haze/fog, what sort it is, and if fungus, whether its accessible to clean or not when looking at lenses on the other side of the planet. It would be so much easier if you have the lens in hand, but unfortunately the only 6's I saw in the states were obviously fungusy or hazy and since the seller said they were clean, and he didn't accept returns, I decided to steer completely clear of him.

When I asked for better photos of the "fungus" pictured above, I got no response. And the only reason I got that one is because the description mentioned fungus and I requested it. The lens photos in his listing looked clean and clear. His listing said "There is no fog. There is tiny fungus. There is no scratches. There is no separation. There is a few tiny dusts."

I asked for pictures of another one that looked clear but mentioned fungus, and got no response there either.

 

[thuggins]

When I asked for better photos of the "fungus" pictured above, I got no response. And the only reason I got that one is because the description mentioned fungus and I requested it. The lens photos in his listing looked clean and clear. His listing said "There is no fog. There is tiny fungus. There is no scratches. There is no separation. There is a few tiny dusts."

This is a pretty standard description from the Japanese sellers; you'll find it in nearly every listing. It seems they list it to cover their a$$. The poor descriptions/communication is another reason I stopped buying from Japan.

I've been refurbing cameras for decades and actual fungus is rare (but I do live in Texas). Generally it is haze or pitting, which I attribute to condensation leaching leaching contaminants onto the glass. There are sometimes small dots surrounded with a hazy, circular "halo" that I have never figured out, but these seem to clean up easily. In the one case with definite fungus, there was no mistaking it. It is tendrils of something growing and starts at the edge of the glass. After is is cleaned it will leave an etched pattern. As pointed out above, the picture of that lens does not look like fungus.

 

[Wayne]

This is a pretty standard description from the Japanese sellers; you'll find it in nearly every listing. It seems they list it to cover their a$$. The poor descriptions/communication is another reason I stopped buying from Japan.

I've been refurbing cameras for decades and actual fungus is rare (but I do live in Texas). Generally it is haze or pitting, which I attribute to condensation leaching leaching contaminants onto the glass. There are sometimes small dots surrounded with a hazy, circular "halo" that I have never figured out, but these seem to clean up easily. In the one case with definite fungus, there was no mistaking it. It is tendrils of something growing and starts at the edge of the glass. After is is cleaned it will leave an etched pattern. As pointed out above, the picture of that lens does not look like fungus.

I didn't think it looked like fungus either, but there may be fungus there that I couldn't see. They never sent me a better picture.

The one I bought does have fungus, but its very small and at the very edge, it shouldn't affect images and its gonna be a dead fungus once I get my hands on it.